Alberto Núñez Feijóo has proposed a Mediaset face-to-face with Pedro Sánchez for 16 November, but the broadcaster has not publicly set a date. The PSOE says it will attend every election debate formally proposed before the 29 November general election, with broadcasters organising the encounters.
That stance has sparked the campaign's first major dispute over format. The row is about participation, along with the choice of broadcaster, date and line-up for the campaign's basic televised confrontation. RTVE has proposed three formats. The first is a Sánchez-Feijóo face-to-face on 17 November. On 23 November, representatives of eight parliamentary groups would debate. A four-candidate debate is proposed for 26 November.
The debate calendar already stretches beyond Mediaset's initiative. Proposals reported by El País include all three RTVE encounters. Atresmedia has proposed a four-candidate debate on 18 November, followed by a Sánchez-Feijóo face-to-face on 23 November. Mediaset has confirmed its initiative but has not publicly set a date, leaving broadcasters to compete for the campaign's central television stage.
Óscar Puente sharpened the criticism on Friday, saying the PP appeared to choose the playing fields that suited it best. Félix Bolaños predicted the PP campaign would try to muddy the debate with any available issue. He also rejected the call for an investigation into the PSOE over illegal financing.
El País reported that the three largest television groups moved almost simultaneously after the election was called early. That turned the debate dispute into a fight over control of the campaign timetable, as well as party participation.
The clash has spilled beyond television. 'La Séptima' has offered the major political forces candidate face-to-faces, alongside subject-based debates on the economy and foreign policy. UGT secretary general Pepe Álvarez has defended the general strike and day of action planned for 11 November, saying it will address those who feel challenged by it.
Housing has become the campaign's most emotionally charged issue. Patxi López accused PP leaders of refusing to support or respect the minutes of silence held for Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman who died after being evicted from the Madrid home she had rented for more than seven decades.
María del Carmen Abascal had lived in the Retiro district for over 70 years. Her rent reportedly rose from about €500 to €2,650 before the eviction. Protests followed, including a camp at Puerta del Sol. Minutes of silence across Spain turned the case into a national symbol of the housing crisis.
The dispute has reached Madrid's institutions and streets. José Luis Martínez-Almeida warned Más Madrid that it would be directly responsible if violence occurred against PP members or officials. Manuela Bergerot rejected the claim that her remark about there being no peace in the streets amounted to a threat.
After Maricarmen's death, the Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas, CCOO and UGT organised a minute of silence at noon in workplaces and study centres.
Jupol issued a practical warning. The police union said Government delegations had left units without the service orders needed to plan deployments for housing protests and the election pre-campaign. That put operational preparation alongside the political confrontation.
For the PSOE, the housing record includes a concession. Óscar Puente acknowledged that Pedro Sánchez's Government had not been sufficiently prepared during its first term, when it had a clearer parliamentary majority. He said the Government now lacked the tools to solve the problem quickly.
Puente also confirmed he will head the PSOE list in Valladolid. He said party data showed the socialists as the leading political force.
The Maricarmen case took an unexpected turn after her hospitalisation and mounting public pressure. With the authorities mediating, the investment fund that owned the building agreed to let her return to the flat. She died soon afterward.
CNN reported that the Madrid Tenants' Union announced her death on 7 October. The PP also expressed its condolences to her family. The housing dispute had moved beyond parliamentary accusations, becoming a test of each party's public position.
The electoral field is taking shape on several fronts. Movimiento Sumar has chosen its coordinator and Congress spokesperson, Verónica Martínez Barbero, as its electoral reference for future Frente Amplio lists. She has called for discreet, generous negotiations.
Puente urged Podemos and Frente Amplio to reach an agreement. He told the left to set aside egos and choose its strongest candidates.
Other disputes are adding pressure to the campaign. Miguel Tellado said the PP trusted Correos workers but not its directors. He pointed to the judicial investigations involving Juan Manuel Serrano and Leire Díez in the PSOE's 'cloacas' case.
Iustitia Europa has asked the Tribunal Supremo to suspend the 29 November election while the court's precautionary suspension of the so-called 'ley de nietos' is put into effect.
The Oficina del Censo Electoral reported almost 38.73 million registered voters for the Congress and Senate elections. That figure included 2.35 million residents abroad.
The census update refers to the 23 July elections, while the campaign's political timetable is set around 29 November. Santiago Abascal will again skip Madrid's central 12 October military parade and mark Día de la Hispanidad in Ceuta.
Details of the 11 November UGT action and proposals attributed to 'La Séptima' remain unclear. The campaign narrative also includes an alleged illegal-financing dispute and the Adamuz derailment, along with a warning attributed to Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida. That warning is reported here as a political statement.
The PSOE's promise to attend every organised encounter gives broadcasters the initiative and places the PP's proposed 16 November meeting within a wider schedule, instead of leaving it as a bilateral arrangement.
The Madrid dispute over a tribute to Maricarmen has also shown how quickly housing can shift from a policy issue to a test of political conduct.
